Tablet of Content

Introduction ............................................................................................... 2
Theoretical Framework .............................................................................. 3
Learners Background ................................................................................ 5
Taped interview6
Analysis and assessment of specific diagnosis.7
Proposal LLS Lesson Plan..10
One to one lesson.12
Discussion and conclusion.13
References..14

Introduction

In the different research concerning how a second language can be

acquired, it has been shown that many factors affect acquisition process of the
language. This piece of work covers the influence of learning strategies by English
language learners, and how the use of these can improve their level of proficiency
or their understanding of the target language.
We are third year students of the English teaching major that the UCSC
offers, and we are currently in our Teaching Experience I. For the purpose of
effectiveness of our future lessons, we decided to carry out this research
interviewing a second year student of a secondary school located in Concepcin.
This student had an interview with us, and on the basis on that, we spot the
possible linguistic problems that she had. In this piece of work, we are going to
analyze the difficulties she had in order to make proposals, and plan a lesson so
that this student can overcome those problems.

Theoretical Framework

The teaching of English as a foreign language has faced many complications

throughout the years. First, it is really important to highlight that according to the
Chilean curriculum, the implementation of English starts in 5th grade at elementary
level (at least for public schools and most of the semi-public ones). As a
consequence of that, a void is created in the learners mind, that is to say, that
children do not receive as many input as they should during their early life.
The necessity of learning English has only increased as a result of the
globalized world that we live in, and this is clearly acknowledged by the Ministry of
education as a tool from which we can have access to information (English as a
Foreign Language, Primary Education: Curricular Basis, 2012). Therefore, the
purpose of communication has been emphasized in order to supply students with
the necessary language they would need in order to communicate effectively.
Major changes have been made in order to respond to this purpose, as an
example, the ideal method moved from Grammar translation method to
Communicative language teaching, which is focused on using the language in
real communicative situations. However, there are still many issues which continue
unsolved. In the field of strategies, contextualized research remain being left aside
by investigators and teachers who do not acknowledge the power and impact that
learning strategies might have on Chilean students.
As defined by Oxford (1990), language learning strategies are Specific
actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more
self-directed, more effective, and more transferrable to new situations.
Nevertheless, because of the lack of knowledge about the language that the
learners might have, the role of introducing learning strategies is carried out by the
teacher.

It is believed that the process of learning a second language is very

complex, since it requires the development of receptive and productive skills
(writing, speaking, reading, listening), as well as, the management of the different
language systems (grammar, lexis, pronunciation). Therefore, how to make more
effective and efficient the learning of a language has been the main focus. Having
that aim in mind, several approaches concerning the teaching of strategies have
been made up by Oxford (1990) and Chamot (1999), so as to teach and learn
successfully a second language as it is English and to achieve the different tasks
that students have to face in the different language lessons.
It is crucial that teachers are aware of the importance of promoting and
encouraging the use of the learning strategies before setting a task. Moreover,
their role is to figure out the linguistics needs of their students and provide them
all strategies that can be used. It is quite likely that not all the strategies will be
useful for them, since everyone has different metacognitive processes; however,
they will have the possibility to discriminate among the myriad of strategies and
choose the most suitable ones according to the task and their abilities. Thanks to
that, the lesson will have a student-centered focus, for students will be able to
develop autonomy and self-efficacy as Oxford (1990) states. Moreover, there is a
high possibility that they complete the task successfully, enhancing their
proficiency of the language and avoiding frustration.
Due to the relevance of the learning strategies, Chamot (1999) established a
model called Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) which
promotes the explicit learning of strategies. In addition to this, Oxford adds that
language learning strategies can be divided in two categories: Direct strategies and
indirect strategies. On one hand, the first category has to do with the learning of
the language itself. Whereas, the second category is related to general knowledge
and it can be found the metacognitive, affective and social strategies.
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Learners background
The learners name is Isidora Sez, and she is currently fifteen years old.
She is from Talcahuano and she is finishing her second year of elementary school
at Colegio del Sagrado Corazn located in Concepcin. She lives with her family
which according to her has always value the power of English. Isidora likes music
in English and says that if she has the opportunity to study English again, she
would do it.
Isidora has always studied in semi-private schools (Colegio Talcahuano in
her elementary level, and Colegio Sagrado Corazn in her secondary level). She
remembers that her first approach to English was in her 5th grade at elementary
schools and she remarks that the teaching methods used by her teacher in those
years were not the best. Written activities were emphasized and little or no
feedback was given. She also tells that she did not learn anything because the
activities were mainly focused on grammar and listening, while speaking and
reading were left aside. Isidora emphasized that even though that experience was
not the best, she really likes English. Once she turned eight she attended lessons
for a period of 2,5 years in Instituto Britanico in Concepcion, with the purpose of
filling the void that her classes at school were leaving. In Isidoras family, as was
already mentioned, the power of the English language has always been
emphasized as way to access to better social and working conditions. Another
example of her experience with English is the one that she is experiencing now.
Our student says that the approach which her teacher uses is tremendously
different from the one already mentioned. L1 is left behind at least a 90% of the
time using it only as a resource to clarify instructions, pantomime and mimics are
also used for enhancing learners understanding. Speaking is highly valued by
means that most of the tasks that they are given are spoken; however, there is
little or no S-S interaction, all the speaking tasks are worked individually and then
reported to the teacher.

TESTING
Taped interview
Interviewer: I
Student: S
NOTE: Because of the level of English of our student and her lack of vocabulary
some of the questions were explained beforehand.

I: Would you give us a little description about yourself?

S: My name is Isidora Sez, Im fifteen years old. I like very much English and my
hobby is dance.
I: Could you tell us about your English background?
S: I am studying in a semi-private school and Ive been in a institute of English
called Britnico. I learn a lot of my teachers because they teach very well.
I: Would you study English in the future?
S: Yes, because its help me a lot in every situation.
I: Which is your major weakness in the language?
S: I can tell you that my major weakness is speak, because is very difficult to me.
I: Have you ever been taught any learning strategy?
S: No.
I: Do you think learning strategies are useful when learning a language.
S: Yes, because they can help me a lot during my classes of English and in the
future.

Analysis and assessment of specific diagnosis

In general, there were three aspects regarding Isidoras speech that caught
our attention. Grammar, pronunciation and lexis were the major weak points which
were evident throughout the questionnaire. At the moment of asking about
learning strategies the student felt puzzled so we had to explain what learning
strategies were before taping the definite answer.

Phonological analysis
Example 1
Isidora tended to mispronounce final sounds more than one time, as well as,
consonants and vowels. The reason of the first mistake made is based on the
interference of her mother tongue. The interviewer pronounced /t/ instead of // in
the word English since in Spanish the phoneme // is associated with a low social

class and will influence in what people think about you.

WORD
ENGLISH

RP
/.l/

STUDENT
/.lt/

Example 2
The second error has to do with stress. Isidora, when uttering the word fifteen,
tended to put the stress in the wrong syllable which in this case is the first one
/ff/. This kind of mispronunciation is recognized afterwards as a consequence of
the lack of interactions in the classroom.

WORD
FIFTEEN

RP

/fftin/

STUDENT

/ff.tin/

In general, from what the student told, the mispronunciation is a cause of a lack of
correction and feedback while speaking, which can result in a fossilization of
mispronunciation. Therefore, correction will be within our lesson plan in order to
assess pronunciation.

Grammatical analysis

Example 1
Isidora made mainly morphological and syntactical errors, but in the following
example, the second type of error is presented. She omitted one important
constituent in the sentence which is the personal pronoun it. Again, it might have
been the interference of her mother tongue, since in Spanish pronouns tend to be
omitted.
This interference is shown in the following sentence: because is very difficult to
me
Isidora should have said: because it is very difficult for me

Example 2
In the second mistake regarding grammar, Isidora misused the possessive
pronoun its. Instead of the recent type of pronoun mentioned, Isidora should
have used the personal pronoun which in this case is it. In the same sentence
and with the first mistake fixed in this example, we can find a morphological
mistake concerning the omission of the s in the finite verb of the sentence
help. This type of error would be what Larsen Freeman calls inert knowledge
which means that Isidora might know the rule and even make a good use of it in
her writings thanks to her monitor; nevertheless, she cannot use it while speaking
or in spontaneous conversations.
The mistake is illustrated in the line ___: because its help me a lot
Isidora should have said: because it helps me a lot

General Lexical Analysis

The lack of vocabulary that the learner has, made the taped interview shorter than
we expected, because the student recognized that although she knew the answers
to the questions and that she fully understood them , she was not able to expand
her answers in a way so as to express the whole answer that she wanted to give.
After analyzing which aspect deserved an immediate preoccupation, we decided
that vocabulary was vital in order to develop spoken and written fluency and
reading and listening understanding. It is important to highlight that while we are
able to understand a text with mistakes in grammar, words are essential for the
understanding of a message (Lightbown & Spada 2006:96). Words are the carriers
of the meaning in communication all over the world; therefore, we think that
teachers should emphasize on the teaching of vocabulary in order to provide them
with the basic foundations to develop skills. Nevertheless, the value of vocabulary
must be managed carefully in a way that the teaching of the words always needs a
use according to the level of proficiency of the target language that our student
interviewed has.
As expressed by Nation (2001), Words are not isolated units of language, but fit

into many interlocking systems and levels. Because of this, there are many things
to know about any particular word and there are many degrees of knowing.
Furthermore, when talking of the degrees of knowing we must consider that
knowing a word is more than knowing the meaning, but it is to know the word at a
practical level (being able to use it at any moment and in any environment in
which the word can be used), and a receptive one (meaning, transcription,
semantic family).

Proposal LLS Lesson Plan (CALLA)

LEARNING LEVEL: Elementary

LANGUAGE: English

GRADE LEVEL: Primary School

FOCUS LLS: Subtitution

LANGUAGE OBJECTIVE: Use adjective to describe different objects that can be

found in a restaurant.
STRATEGY OBJECTIVE: Use substitution to practice finding alternative ways of
describing things when the specific adjective is not known or recalled.
Materials: Pictures, whiteboard, markers.

Preparation
Teacher asks Isidora if she has ever had problems with communication
because of her lack of vocabulary. She asks: have you been in a situation in which
you cannot find the words to express your ideas? Have you ever said I know the
word but I dont remember it? If it is so, what did you do in order to get out of
trouble? Or did it stop you from what you wanted to say?
The teacher tells a story (while showing a picture): Once I was invited to a
very important ceremony. After it, we had dinner together with special meals, as
well as guests. While eating, I needed a napkin but I did not remember the
word! I was desperate for my mouth was dirty, and I didnt want anyone to see it
in that way. What do you think I did? (Students give possible answers) I used body
language describing what the object meant for, and I looked at it, so of course the
person next to me understood and gave the napkin.
There is a discussion among the student and the teacher about the
alternatives that the teacher used in order to make herself understood. Isidora is
asked about how her teacher would have felt if she wouldnt have been able to
ask for what she wanted. The teacher monitors for a while in order to check
pronunciation mistakes and clear doubts.

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Presentation
Teacher tells Isidora that she is going to learn a strategy which is going to
be helpful if she wants to say a word or phrase which she does not remember at
the moment of speaking. The strategy is called substitution and the purpose of it
is to paraphrase or substitute the word you dont remember so you can express
your ideas fluently and maintain a conversation anyway.
Again, teacher shows another example of a situation in which the strategy
being taught is explicitly used.
Practice
Teacher gives the student a list of words can be useful when eating out and
which synonyms for each have to be looked up by Isidora. When that task is done,
Isidora is asked to share her answers with the teacher. After that, they both have
to find the different possibilities of replacing the exact words they might not
remember in an imaginary situation in a restaurant. When they are done, they
have to act out the sample of the situation.
Evaluation
Was the strategy difficult to manage?
Did I use the strategy?
Did the strategies help me? Why? Why not?
I used other strategies:

Expansion
Isidora is asked to take notes and describe an experienced situation in
which she does not remember a word, but eventually she makes use of the
strategy recently taught. The idea is meant to help her to practice the strategy in a
real life context and to see how effective it is according to the students
metacognitive abilities.

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One to one lesson

Isidora seemed to understand what means when someone forgets a word

and she/he is not able to continue a conversation. Because of that, she seemed
very enthusiastic when presenting the strategy that would help her to overcome
those overwhelming moments.
In the preparation stage, Isidora answered that she has experienced
situations in which she has got stuck with a word and unable to keep going a
conversation. She told that when she has had to face those kind of situations, she
just lose the idea and of course the decoding of the message is not the best. There
had been misunderstandings even.
When we got to the presentation stage, Isidora seemed familiar with the
story that the teacher told, hence for her it was not difficult to take in what she
was talking about.
We she got to the practice stage, as it was mentioned before, Isidora
participated actively in the finding of the synonyms of the different words that
were shown.
Finally, during the evaluation stage was clear how helpful the strategy
resulted. Isidora mastered the use of the strategy during this lesson and her
anxiety level diminished through the stages of the class, we can know this for sure
,because she expressed that she did not feel nervous.
As a general conclusion, we strongly believe that learning strategies are
useful for al kinds of learners no matter their age or level of English.

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Discussion & conclusion

As we already mentioned, the teaching and learning of strategies is a road

which is travelled only by a few teachers. Learning strategies can help learners
overcome their difficulties when facing the target language, and the usefulness of
these should be recognized. The issue here is that many teachers take for granted
that their pupils know learning strategies (even when learners do not know the
name of these), but the truth is: teachers must teach learning strategies explicitly
so as to help the learner throughout the course.
In the specific situation of Isidora, overcoming these issues will not be an
easy task, and it will take more than a tutorial to help her to achieve more
proficiency in the language.
To add, it is important to create conscience about these tools that we can
use in our classes called learning strategies. We, as future teachers, must
emphasize the power of using the target language communicatively, and that
learning strategies will play a significant role in achieving that goal. On our behalf,
we are already incorporating learning strategies in the lesson plans, because our
own experience as learners of English suggests that these are crucial during the
learning process.

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References

Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (2006) How Languages are Learned 3rd Ed Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Ministerio de Educacin (2012) Bases curriculares. Idioma extranjero ingls.
Educacin Bsica. Santiago. Gobierno de Chile.
Nation, P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
O'Malley, J.M. & Chamot, A.U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language
Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What every teacher should
know. Heinle & Heinle: Boston.

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